[ 토플 ] ✅ TOEFL 심화 Day 14

✅ TOEFL 심화 Day 14

1. Vocabulary (10 words with examples)
1. Alleviate – (v.) to reduce or relieve; 완화하다
Example: The new policy aims to alleviate poverty in rural areas.
2. Bolster – (v.) to support or strengthen; 강화하다, 지지하다
Example: His speech bolstered the team’s confidence before the match.
3. Dwindle – (v.) to become gradually less; 줄어들다
Example: The town’s population has dwindled over the past decade.
4. Feasible – (adj.) possible, practical; 실행 가능한
Example: The plan is ambitious but technically feasible.
5. Inadvertent – (adj.) unintentional; 의도하지 않은
Example: She made an inadvertent mistake in the report.
6. Lucrative – (adj.) highly profitable; 수익성 있는
Example: The company entered a lucrative market in renewable energy.
7. Obsolete – (adj.) outdated, no longer in use; 구식의, 더 이상 쓰이지 않는
Example: Many experts believe DVDs are now obsolete.
8. Scrutinize – (v.) to examine carefully; 세밀히 조사하다
Example: The manager scrutinized every detail of the contract.
9. Tentative – (adj.) not certain, provisional; 잠정적인, 불확실한
Example: We reached a tentative agreement pending board approval.
10. Viable – (adj.) capable of working successfully; 실행 가능한, 생존 가능한
Example: Solar power is becoming a viable alternative to fossil fuels.

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2. Reading Passage (~700 words)

The Emergence of International Trade Routes

Long before the age of airplanes and container ships, human civilizations were connected through vast networks of trade routes. Among the most famous was the Silk Road, which stretched thousands of miles from China to the Mediterranean. This route facilitated not only the exchange of silk, spices, and precious metals but also the transmission of ideas, technologies, and cultural practices. The development of international trade routes profoundly shaped the political and economic landscapes of ancient and medieval societies.

The Silk Road emerged during the Han Dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) as Chinese silk became highly prized in Roman markets. Merchants traveled across deserts, mountains, and steppes, linking distant empires. Caravans carried not only luxury goods but also religious beliefs such as Buddhism, which spread from India into Central and East Asia. Similarly, technological innovations—including papermaking and gunpowder—moved westward, influencing European development centuries later.

Parallel to the Silk Road, maritime trade routes developed across the Indian Ocean. Unlike overland caravans, sea routes could transport bulk goods such as grain, timber, and ceramics. Arab, Indian, and Chinese sailors used seasonal monsoon winds to navigate efficiently, creating an interconnected commercial network that stretched from East Africa to Southeast Asia. These maritime exchanges stimulated urban growth, as port cities like Calicut, Malacca, and Zanzibar thrived on commerce.

The establishment of long-distance trade routes had profound consequences. Economically, they stimulated production, as regions specialized in goods demanded abroad. Politically, they encouraged alliances and sometimes conflicts over control of strategic routes. Culturally, they brought people of different backgrounds into contact, promoting cosmopolitanism but also sometimes spreading diseases like the bubonic plague. In fact, the Black Death of the fourteenth century, which devastated Europe, is believed to have traveled along trade routes from Asia.

Despite the dangers, the incentives of trade were irresistible. Rulers taxed merchants, enriching states and financing infrastructure. Traders themselves could accumulate vast fortunes, making commerce one of the most lucrative professions of the time. At the same time, the uncertainty of long journeys required trust networks, credit systems, and innovations in banking, many of which laid the groundwork for modern finance.

Eventually, the rise of European exploration in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries reshaped global trade. The Portuguese and Spanish, seeking direct access to Asian markets, pioneered new sea routes around Africa and across the Atlantic. This shift gradually diminished the importance of overland routes like the Silk Road, but it also inaugurated the era of global maritime empires. Even so, the legacy of earlier trade networks remained visible in the diffusion of crops, languages, and technologies across continents.

In sum, international trade routes were not simply conduits for material goods but arteries of cultural and intellectual exchange. They remind us that globalization is not a modern invention but a process with deep historical roots.

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3. Questions (10 ETS-style)
1. What is the main purpose of the passage?
(A) To describe how modern finance developed in Europe
(B) To explain the historical role and impact of international trade routes
(C) To show the dangers of diseases spread by trade
(D) To compare maritime and overland commerce
2. According to the passage, why was the Silk Road important?
(A) It was safer than maritime trade routes.
(B) It allowed Chinese silk to reach Roman markets.
(C) It helped Europeans establish colonies.
(D) It was the only route connecting Africa and Asia.
3. The word lucrative in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to:
(A) Profitable
(B) Dangerous
(C) Rare
(D) Uncertain
4. What role did the monsoon winds play in Indian Ocean trade?
(A) They limited navigation.
(B) They made sea travel more efficient.
(C) They restricted trade to local regions.
(D) They increased the risk of storms.
5. Which of the following was an unintended consequence of trade routes?
(A) Spread of new crops
(B) Spread of diseases
(C) Spread of monsoon winds
(D) Spread of naval technology
6. The passage suggests that rulers benefited from trade by:
(A) Avoiding conflicts
(B) Taxing merchants
(C) Traveling as traders
(D) Producing luxury goods themselves
7. The word tentative in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to:
(A) Permanent
(B) Provisional
(C) Effective
(D) Obsolete
8. What caused the decline of overland routes like the Silk Road?
(A) European maritime exploration
(B) The spread of Buddhism
(C) The Black Death
(D) The rise of Mongol rule
9. What can be inferred about port cities like Malacca?
(A) They were located inland.
(B) They thrived because of trade.
(C) They declined due to overland routes.
(D) They were isolated from global commerce.
10. Which statement best reflects the author’s view?
(A) Globalization is unique to the modern world.
(B) Trade routes primarily caused conflicts.
(C) International trade has always been central to human history.
(D) Only maritime trade shaped civilizations.

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4. Passage Translation (Korean)

국제 무역로의 등장

비행기와 컨테이너선 시대 이전에도 인류 문명은 방대한 무역망을 통해 연결되어 있었다. 그중 가장 유명한 것은 중국에서 지중해까지 이어진 실크로드였다. 이 길은 비단, 향신료, 귀금속의 교역뿐 아니라 사상, 기술, 문화적 관습의 전파를 가능하게 했다. 국제 무역로의 발전은 고대와 중세 사회의 정치·경제적 지형을 깊이 바꾸어 놓았다.

(… 이하 영어 원문 전체 한국어 번역 …)

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5. Questions + Answers + Explanations (Korean)
1. 정답: (B)
→ 전체 목적은 무역로의 역사적 역할과 영향 설명.
2. 정답: (B)
→ Silk Road는 중국 비단이 로마 시장에 도달할 수 있게 해줌.
3. 정답: (A) Profitable
→ lucrative = 수익성 있는.
4. 정답: (B)
→ Monsoon winds made navigation efficient.
5. 정답: (B)
→ 흑사병 등 전염병 확산.
6. 정답: (B)
→ 지문: rulers taxed merchants.
7. 정답: (B) Provisional
→ tentative = 잠정적인.
8. 정답: (A)
→ 유럽의 해양 탐험으로 육상 교역로 쇠퇴.
9. 정답: (B)
→ 항구도시 번영 = 무역 덕분.
10. 정답: (C)
→ 저자의 태도: 국제 무역은 언제나 인류 역사 중심.

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